Leatherhead FC mascot Swannell swapped Fetcham Grove for Epsom Downs when taking part in the mascot race at the famous racecourse on the August bank holiday.

Dave Young-Phombeah, 59, was the man behind the costume, finishing in the middle of the pack as the event raised over £3,500 for The Children’s Trust charity.

Young-Phombeah has been the Tanners’ mascot for a year and took part in the race, which has been running since 2021, for the first time, admitting running in the costume was tougher than he expected.

“It was a brilliant day,” he said. “It was straight to the riders’ enclosure; we lined up had the race and then had some fun and games in the winners’ enclosure.

“It was really difficult running in the costume, it was like running in a diver’s suit.

“I have a long neck on my suit so I had to run with one hand holding the neck, so my head didn’t come out.

“I had a tiny little slit to breath out of so my glasses steamed up and I couldn’t see where I was going!”

Young-Phombeah became mascot for Leatherhead, who play in the Pitching In Isthmian South Central division, last season having volunteered for a number of years after giving up his season ticket at Arsenal.

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And he revealed stepping into Swannell’s shoes was simply a natural progression having done a number of roles for the Tanners over the years.

“I used to be a season ticket holder at Arsenal, but they don’t treat you as nicely as they do in non-League football which is brilliant,” he added.

“They do loads for the community, and it is very satisfying to volunteer.

“I enjoyed going so much and was overwhelmed by how many people were asking me to do things. It was all complimentary.

“I just fell into the role firstly on the media side, I was interviewing players and doing the club match stats. From there I fell into the role of mascot.

“I got involved in the race by pot luck really, I got lucky on two accounts. I was at the Dorking Wanderers v Leatherhead pre-season match, and they invited me to meet up with the Dorking mascot, Dorkers.

“I won a penalty shoot-out 3-2 and we got chatting and they mentioned the mascot race. I was a late entry but the Yeovil Town mascot pulled out so there was a place for me.”
Clubs like Leatherhead rely on volunteers like Young-Phombeah to keep them running.
It is now easier than ever to volunteer at a club through Pitching In’s Volunteer Hub, and Young-Phombeah espoused the huge importance of people helping out their local team.

He said: “They are great clubs, some are over 100 years old, but they are small clubs and need all the help they can get as it can be a financial struggle just to keep going - without volunteers many of these clubs would go under.”

Find volunteering opportunities at your local club by visiting https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/